A Message on Racial Justice and Energy and Society

The Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society stands in solidarity with our Black students, staff, alumni, and with Black people across the United States and the world. We would like to amplify the statements made by our colleagues in the Dartmouth Consortium of Studies of Race, Migration, and Sexuality  and stand as allies with our Black students. We encourage everyone in the Irving Institute community to read these statements, educate themselves on the issues, learn more about what can be done to effectuate progress, and to take personal responsibility to dismantle racist structures in their own lives and communities.

As an Institute focused on preparing future generations of energy leaders, we know that our work is embedded in the struggles for more just and equitable futures for our students. Sustainable energy futures in the U.S. and abroad require leadership that includes Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other people of color and other marginalized groups. We have a responsibility to actively contribute to the realization of these futures. Our mission is to advance energy futures that are affordable, sustainable, and reliable for all people, and that especially includes those whose lives and communities are systematically disadvantaged.

The Institute team commits to:

1) Recognizing our own privileges and educating ourselves and our colleagues about systemic racism, including its role in the disproportionate distribution of the benefits and costs of modern energy services.

2) Inviting Black, Brown, Indigenous, and other POC to speak regularly at Irving Institute events about their experiences and perspectives on energy and society issues. Their voices matter, and we need to listen and learn.

3) Develop a plan for inclusivity in our office's internal operations and the three pillars of our work: education, research and engagement, with guidance and input from Dartmouth students, faculty, staff, and alumni. 

The Irving Institute Team
Friday, June 5, 2020